Automated teller machines (ATMs) are known in the prior art. Customers of financial institutions may perform banking transactions, make inquiries concerning the status of their accounts, pay bills and obtain other banking services using automated teller machines. Typically the customer uses a magnetically encoded card that is inserted into the machine. The customer also inputs a personal identification number that allows the automated teller machine to verify the customer's identity. After the customer has conducted their transactions, the customer's card is returned along with one or more receipts which document the transactions conducted.
There are a number of different types of automated teller machines (ATMs). Some automated teller machines are designed to be inside the wall of a bank and have their customer interface extending through the wall of the bank. This enables customers to conduct their transactions without entering the bank either in a walk-up or drive-up fashion. This type of configuration is known as a "through-the-wall" configuration.
Other ATM units are designed to be freestanding either in the lobby of a bank or other commercial establishment. In these cases the entire ATM unit is placed on the floor and made operable by appropriate cabling. The lobby type ATMs have the advantage that they are much easier to install than a through-the-wall type machine.
In the past, lobby ATM units and through-the-wall ATM units have generally been made specifically for the type of installation in which they will be used. This is because of the different environmental and security requirements for lobby and through-the-wall units. Although many of the components used in both types of units are the same, different components were necessary to meet the different operating conditions.
Another problem that has occurred in the prior art is that when an ATM is installed within a facility, there must not only be room for the device, but there must also be provided sufficient area surrounding the machine for servicing. This is because ATMs require periodic replenishment of currency and supplies such as receipt forms, removal of customer deposits that have been deposited in the machine and maintenance. To provide the necessary access for servicing, substantial space must be provided. This space is required to enable a service technician to swing open an access door and work on the components inside the ATM.
Significant space is also required for servicing an ATM because it is often unrealistic to service or repair components within the tight confines of the ATM enclosure. As a result, some components have been mounted on a chassis that can be slid out of the machine to better expose the components that require periodic servicing. Such chassis often occupy a substantial part of the overall width of the ATM enclosure. The service technician has generally been required to have access both behind and to the sides of the extended chassis to service the components thereon. As a result, in positioning the ATM enough surrounding space must be provided to enable the technician not only to extend any components to their service position but also to provide space for the technician to stand and move while conducting service operations.
The requirement of providing access space for servicing increases the amount of space required for an ATM installation. As a result, the housing for a through-the-wall ATM must be larger than might otherwise be desired. Likewise, lobby unit ATMs cannot be generally mounted flush against a wall or in line with other self-service machines. This means that the lobby ATM must be generally freestanding and requires surrounding unproductive floor space. In addition, the fact that persons could gain access to several sides of a lobby ATM unit increases the risk of attack by burglars as well as increases the opportunities for theft of the entire unit.
Thus, there exists a need for an ATM enclosure that minimizes the space required for servicing. There further exists a need for an ATM enclosure that can be used with both through-the-wall and lobby ATMs and which is configurable to be accessed by a service technician either from the front or from the back depending on the ATM configuration and the particular type of installation. There is further a need for a method of servicing components in such an ATM.